Another Prologue
by LiveOnTheEdge
Summary: Ponyboy tells his love story after he lost Johnny and Dallas he didn't expect this. Not by a long shot.The Outsiders 2: Moving On completely rewritten.
1. Chapter 1

I was happy that school was over. Last exam today, it felt good. I tried to get a ride home with Steve, but they left before I got outside. My geography teacher was talking to me forever after the exam was over. He was showing me all my old tests, telling me how well I was doing. I _know _how I'm doing. I took those tests for god sake. Maybe he was trying to get it out of me that I was cheating. I wasn't. I don't talk much in that class, but when I do I know I don't sound as smart as I do on paper.

So now I walk home by myself. Not exactly how I had planned my summer vacation to start off. It was hot out. I mean really hot. The sweat ran down my back, and the only thing that was keeping me from passing out and laying under a tree for the rest of the night was that thought that when I got home I could sit in front of my TV by myself, a Pepsi in hand, and maybe even sleep. I haven't done much of that lately. I was constantly locked in my room studying. I haven't done as well as I could have lately, really slacking off. But I had to work so hard last year to bring my grades back up to a pass that I think it was well earned. My oldest brother Darrel, of course, had a different opinion on the matter.

My grades were slipping. It seems so stupid now. Do you really want to know why I was slacking off all year? No, you will lose all respect for me. I can't tell you.

I was close to my house now. My pace slowed, even though I wished I could hurry up.

I reached the house, the truck was gone, and I was hoping that Sodapop and Darry were both gone, maybe out to the store, or over at Two-Bit's.

I walked into the house. It was hot. I gasped because it was so hot, and the air was thick. I looked longingly back outside because it was colder out there than it was in here.

I let the screen door slam, my book bag slide off my back. Sodapop was here, and Darrel. So were Steve and Two-Bit.

"Aw great, another set of lungs to take up all the air" Two-Bit said, he was sitting in front of the fan with Sodapop and Steve.

"If it's so hot then why are you all here?" I snapped, "Don't you have your own houses?"

"What are you all bent about?" Darrell asked, he was flipping through the TV channels.

I sighed, "Nothing," and looked around for something to do.

"How did your geography exam go?" Darry stood up now, looking at me.

"Good, I guess. I don't know really."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?"

"I mean 'I don't know', all right?" I snapped and walked into my room. I shut the door behind me, careful not to slam it because I had just gotten that lecture on the weekend.

Big mistake, because this room must have been the hottest room in the house.

"He's been that way all month now," Darry said loudly.

"Hell," I heard Sodapop say, breathing heavy, "He's been like that all year,"

"We all know why-" Steve started deeply.

"Don't talk about it Steve, that's not something he needs to be thinking about now; it's his summer vacation,"

"Well that's when it happened-" Steve started then stopped abruptly.

_Just drop it Steve _I thought

They thought that by me hearing them bring it up I would start thinking about her. As if I don't think about her all the time anyways.

I heard them all whispering outside my door, and I stuck my head out. They stopped.

"Hi Pone, are you hungry?" Sodapop asked; his voice rather shaky. I rolled my eyes and shut the door again. I grabbed my pencil case and notebook and jumped out the window which was ajar.

I settled myself into the grass, which, even thought it was starting to brown from dehydration, was still comfy as I ever remembered it. I lied back and looked up at the sky. It was really blue today, and I was probably going to get a hell of sunburn lying out here. But I wouldn't really mind to tell you the truth. I rolled onto my stomach and flipped through my notebook. Through drawings and short letters and stories. Then to an envelope, packed thickly, which I picked up, then set aside gently. To an empty page and messily sketched our truck, which I could see from the yard.

I looked down, studied it, then crumpled it up and turned to another new page. I wrote the date in the top right corner, _June 27 1967_

Then I stopped, my hand hovering over the paper. What next?

_Nice weather, huh?_

I rubbed it out the second I finished writing it. Don't resort to small talk, I commanded myself.

_Is the weather nice where you are?_

Damnit Ponyboy! I thought, rubbing that out too. That's an even worse display of small talk.

What did I even want to say in this letter? That I'm miserable? That I can't stand being here without you?

No, I thought, I want to tell her the truth. I want her to know that I'm going to keep living my life thinking about her, and that I hope that she is happy.

And I hope she'll come back to me really, really, really soon.

But how do I put all that into words? I had more trouble writing these letters than I had writing my one thousand word essay on pig intestines.

Fine, since I can't seem to find anything better to do, I'll tell you the reason for my grade trouble.

The trouble was… ugh god I can't tell you.

Okay, fine, it was a girl.

A girl who, maybe I wasn't supposed to like but I did anyways. And she liked me too. Even if it took a lot work to make her like me, she did and I know that now. But I guess now is too late.

I took the envelope into my hands and read the front, in my messy handwriting it read:

_Shelby Roxanne Matthews_

_469 Eldrocks Lane_

_Wisenville, South Carolina_

_USA_

All I needed was a zip code, but I still didn't have it.

I took the first letter out; I think there was about twenty-five now. When I first started, I wrote one once a week. Then once every two weeks, and now once a month. But not because I have to, because I feel like I might actually get the courage to send them to her. I'm a coward though, because I keep them behind my dresser, under a floorboard. Because if my brothers saw them, they would sock me good.

Though the last year has been rough for me, I know that it has been worth it. I have loved someone more than I thought was possible, and that feeling is worthy of anything.

Just the thought of seeing Shelby Roxanne Matthews again on my front step is enough to make me lie in bed for hours, not getting any sleep, but feeling better than sleep could have ever made me.

And I smiled now as I read the first letter I wrote to her. And I remembered that each and every letter I wrote to her was signed,

_I love you and I miss you, _

_Ponyboy_

That's right I, Ponyboy Michael Curtis, have fallen in love.


	2. Chapter 2

July 1967

It was a week into my summer vacation. It didn't seem like the school year should be over yet, maybe because I had missed so much school during the year. With all the absences, they thought maybe I should just repeat ninth grade. But I couldn't, Darry knew that, and declined. Told them in his own terms that a smart kid like me could catch up. So during the summer they just gave some reading lists, a little bit of homework from each course and such. Wasn't so bad, but I knew I would end up doing all at the last minute. I liked sleeping all day and staying up late at night now that I'm on holidays.

Two-Bit had failed again, but the teachers told him that if he went to summer school for a few courses he might be able to bring his mark up enough to pass. _Might _the keyword here, and this was under the circumstances that Two-Bit works hard. He hasn't decided what he wants to do yet. He had failed because he missed too much class, just like me. The same thing with Steve, after Johnny and Dally died I guess none of us really wanted to go to school.

Some days when me, Two-Bit and Steve came home we would just sit and do nothing, not even talk or eat. Sometimes have the radio playing in the background while we thought, about Johnny, about Dally, about Socs, about life in general. The odd time we would go and throw the football around, but that wasn't very often, and we could never seem to get our spirits up high enough to play for more than a few minutes.

A lot of the time I spent at home I would write. I would write down everything that came to my head, and when I read it now, I don't really know who I was when I wrote that stuff.

Sodapop and Steve rarely went out anymore; in fact all of us rarely left the house. Steve and Two-Bit would stay over for weeks at a time, but we didn't question them about it. Even though money seemed to be getting tighter, Steve would always give us most of his paycheck, and Two-Bit would often lift some food from the grocery store. We didn't have to ask them either.

And those few months were the hardest months I've gone through since my parents died. It was kind of similar too, in a way. Because I had a hard time keeping my grades up then, but I had it even harder this time around. I found it almost impossible to do my homework when I came home from school because I was already exhausted. I was ecstatic when I got a C on any assignment, which makes me realize why I almost failed.

But things had gotten better, loads better. Darry is going to get promoted soon, and that will mean he'll be able to spend more time at home with us. Sodapop has a new girlfriend, a nice girl named Daisy, with green eyes, and real shiny, lightly curly brown hair. She was pretty, and loved Soda more than anything. I don't know if he loves her yet, I don't know if he even knows. But he's happy, and that's something not much of us saw for a while.

Our house was hot right then. It was one of the hottest months I could remember that June, and I knew July would be hotter. I lay in my bed, the covers all tangled around my feet, and I was sweating something awful.

I ran my hand through my hair, and looked lazily over at Soda, he wasn't there though. And I groaned thinking that meant I would have to do dishes, again.

And as if on cue Two-Bit and Sodapop ran into the room to wake me up.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Two-Bit sang, rolling over top of me. I groaned again.

"Get off'a me T'Bit" I mumbled, and then Sodapop was jumping on the bed too. He started punching Two-Bit, and soon they had started fighting laughing and forgot about me. They rolled on top of me, still fighting and swearing at each other and soon we all ended up on the floor.

"You knuckle heads," Darry laughed from the door "Get up, I made breakfast, and Pony's doing dishes,"

I smiled, and Sodapop clapped me on the shoulder, Two-Bit was already gone and probably shoving food down his throat.

I yawned and followed Soda and Darry out of our room. There was a light knock on the door and I dragged myself over to answer it.

Sodapop's girlfriend Daisy stood there, toying with her long hair which was in braids.

She giggled when she caught sight of me, I was in my track shorts and white t-shirt. She reached out and smoothed the hair on the top of my head down. My face burned.

"Thanks, Daisy..." I mumbled. "You lookin' for Soda?"

"Of course," She smiled. I opened the door wider to let her in. Before she could walk in Sodapop pushed me out of the way and shut the door.

"We don't want any!" Sodapop yelled, laughing.

"Soda!" Daisy yelled from outside.

He smiled again and opened the door. "Oh its you," She looked cute standing there her arms crossed over her chest, lips pressed tightly together.

She had a little smile on her face now as she said "Oh sorry to bother you sir," and turned quickly on her heel. Sodapop launched himself out the door and grabbed her. He tickled her and she shrieked with laughter before he wrapped his arms around her and brought her inside. He put her down, and I shut the door behind them. It was hot enough in here without all that Oklahoma summer humidity taking its toll.

I watched as Sodapop pressed his lips to her forehead before whispering something in her ear.

"Oh I'll bet," She replied. And they collapsed on the couch together. I wondered how they could be all over eachother even when it was this hot.

"Its really hot in here," Daisy stated the obvious.

"Mmm hmmm," Was all Sodapop said before they started kissing.

"Would look at those two?" Two-Bit muttered, bits of eggs flying out of his mouth.

I shrugged and looked back at them. Two-Bit got up and threw himself over the back of the couch.

"Kiss me Soda!" He yelled. Making obsene kissing noises and groans.

"Ugh, don't touch me ya greasy panty waist!" Sodapop exclaimed at the same time as Daisys disgusted "Ew, Two-Bit!"

Then there was a thump, and another thump, and Sodapop tried to sound sympathetic while he laughed, "Sorry baby,"

Daisy got up from the floor and looked around. Her eyes locked with mine and I looked back down at my eggs.

Two-Bit and Sodapop got to wrestling again, leaving an awkward silence between me and Daisy at the table, where she just sat across from me.

"Ponyboy?" She asked softly, "Could I borrow a cigarette from you?"

I hated when people said that. You don't borrow a cigarette unless you're planning on giving it back when your done. But I pulled out my ragged pack and passed her my second last one. That meant I would have to go and get some after breakfast. She lit her cigarette, and I darted my eyes back at her briefly. She even looked classy while she inhaled tar.

"Hey Two-Bit?" I said, hoping to bum a ride to the corner store off him. "What are you up to today?"

Sodapop and he continued to roll around on the ground, looking like they were in an intimate embrace rather than trying to beat the snot out of eachother. "Ma wants me to go pick up my cousin." He managed to gasp out from underneath Soda.

"What cousin?" I asked curiously.

"My girl cousin, the only girl cousin I got. The only one I know on my dad's side anyhow." He said thoughtfully sitting up before Soda pushed him back down and tried to get him in a head lock. But Two-Bit twisted his arm behind his back and flipped him onto his stomach. "She's from South Carolina,"

"Whats'er name?"

"Shelby...Shelby Roxanne Matthews." Two-Bit said, letting go of Soda as he reluctantly bellowed Uncle. "She spent a few summers down here when she was little. I ain't seen her since Thanksgiving now, though."

"If I go with ya can you stop off at the dime store? I need smokes." I said, looking longingly at the cigarette Daisy ground into the ashtray. And I wished for a second that Daisy wasn't a girl so that I could tell her to get her own damn cigarettes.

"Sure thing. I ain't paying for yours though."

"I know you ain't paying. Although ya should, I'm pretty sure we smoke my packs 50-50." I said grabbing my plate along with Soda's and Two-Bit's into the kitchen. I filled the sink and tried to remember what Shelby looked like.

I remembered that she wore a navy blue baseball cap when we were really young. A hand-me-down compliments to Two-Bit. And I remember she had stick straight brown hair, and wore a lot of dresses.

"I'm leaving at three, her trains comin' at 3:25." Two-Bit stuck his head into the kitchen, where I was washing the dishes and left before I asked him to help.

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"Hey Ponyboy?" Darry yelled from the kitchen.

"What?"

"Can you walk over to the store and get some milk?"

"I can't" I started and I heard Darry start to protest but I cut him off. "I'm going to the train station with Two-Bit."

"The train station? What the hell are ya going there for? Trying to pick up chicks is my best guess." Darry said, coming out of the doorway and into his bedroom.

"You'd be guessin' right." I said, and I knew that would catch Darry's attention. He came out of the room and looked at me. "Not like that," I smirked, "We're picking up his cousin Shelby,"

"Oh yeah? She comin' down for the summer again?"

"I suppose so," I said and cleared my throat, "If ya want I'm getting Two-Bit to stop at the dime store for smokes. I can run across the street and get the milk."

"If you do that, you tell Shelby and Two-Bit they can come over to eat if Two-Bits' mom is working tonight." Darry said, he always invited Two-Bit over for supper now. And he came even if he wasn't invited.

"Alright. Hey, what time is it?" I said looking outside. I knew it was sweltering.

"It's five after three,"

"Aw hell," I said and pulled my high tops on lazily. I grabbed the money Darry left on the table for me.

"Watch your mouth," I heard Darry grumble, as the screen door shut behind me. I took a deep breath of the thick, humid air and then jumped off the porch and sprinted off down the street.

I was sweating bullets by the time I saw Two-Bits car roaring up the street. It could use a new muffler soon. I practically threw myself on the road to make sure he would stop and then I bent over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

I looked up when I could feel the heat of the car closer to me.

"Hurry up! Get in, Ponyboy!" Two-Bit yelled and honked his horn.

"Alright, Alright. I'm right here!" I said jogging over to the door, and throwing myself in before Two-Bit sped forward.

"I said three o'clock," Two-Bit said, checking out a few girls standing outside the dime store.

"I ran as fast as I could," I panted. "Darrel was hollerin' at me again anyways." I lied. I knew it would shut him up. And it did too. He took out a cigarette, and lit it quickly before throwing his lighter on the dashboard.

"I don't really know where I'm supposed to go when I get there, I ain't ever been to the train station before." Two-Bit smiled. "Have you?"

I shrugged and shook my head.

"Was I supposed to make a sign with her name on it or somethin'?" He asked cocking his eyebrow.

"No, I think she's seen you before," I looked out the window, smirking.

"I'm a changed man now," Two-Bit laughed.

I snorted, "Yeah right," attempting at cocking an eyebrow. But I was thinking that beneath the jokes, we both knew that was the truth. We were all a little different.

"But you sure do look ugly when you try to pull that off," He said, talking about my failed attempts at cocking my eyebrows. I swear, some people are just born with that talent.

"You don't look so hunky yourself," I said, and Two-Bit punched me in the shoulder and then passed me his cigarette. I took a nice long pull.

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"Do you remember what she looks like?" I asked, we were standing outside of the station. Watching all the people milling around aimlessly. A tramp was sitting beside us begging for money. He made me a little uneasy, and I paced around to the other side of the Two-Bit.

"Of course I remember what she looks like," He spat, and stamped his cigarette out. I could see the beads of sweat on his forehead an upperlip. I could feel the sweat too, and I wondered if I had ever been this hot before in my life.

Then I remembered the church with Johnny. I had the same kind of feeling I did on my back when I leaned again the backrest of the bench. That burning, sickly feeling. The sun shone in my eyes, and I put my head down, looking at my shoes. I wondered vaguely if they would melt if the pavement got hot enough.

"Ponyboy!" I snapped out of my day dreaming.

"What?"

"God almighty, I've been calling you for 10 minutes. I think that's her train over there." He said, pointing to the big green steam engine that had come to a screeching halt a few minutes ago. People seemed to be piling out, but no sign of a teenage girl.

"That's her right there," He exclaimed pointing to a lady in her thirties with her hair pulled into a tight bun.

"Not unless Shelby is a thirty-year-old mother of eight, Two-Bit." I said sarcastically, and looked again. I didn't need the smack on the head, Two-Bit gave me. I saw her now. Standing there, looking around anxiously. Bags at her feet.

Two-Bit was pulling me over by the arm. I jerked it away when we got close enough and I thought I could see with the sun in my eyes.

"If it isn't Shelby Mustang," Two-Bit said, but Shelby had seen him first and already had him around the neck, a wide smile on her face.

She had a blue sundress on, with lace on the trim and neck. She wore a pair of heels that clicked loudly when Two-Bit set her back on the ground. She was still short. She must only be a little over five feet tall. But the heels gave her some height. Her hair was longer than most girls wore it anymore, perfectly straight, it shone down to her ribs. She turned to me, and smiled. Her lips looked glossy and parted perfectly exposing her white teeth. Slightly higher on the left, just like Two-Bits. Her eyes were brown. Or they might have been green. But they danced like Soda's and Two-Bit's and were surrounded by long, black eyelashes that she fluttered at me.

"Hi Ponyboy," She said and stuck out her hand. I was still taking in her appearance. Her accent was slightly different than ours, but she had the same sort of grace that nice girls had. I knew she'd be no soc, Two-Bit'd never accept her if she was. But she had class none the less. Class, like Sodapop's girlfriends Sandy and Daisy had class. Natural class.

Two-Bit nudged me in the ribs, and Shelby laughed nervously. I took her hand, aware of how sweaty mine was. "You probably don't remember me, it's been a long time."

"No-it's... well that dress is really...looks...pretty." I said, not knowing it was possible to make such an idiot of yourself within one minute.

"Aw, thanks, I knew it would be hot down here. It always is." She pushed her hair out of her face.

I wanted to say something witty, about how she hasn't seen nothing yet. But my throat was thick, and I had to swallow. But even when I did my mind was swimming and it seemed as though I forgot how to process the english language. _Damn Southern heat._

"Ponyboy, could ya close your mouth and grab one of these bags?" Two-Bit laughed. I bent down and picked up one of her three bags.

"Oh, sorry I brought so much stuff Two-Bit. You know how girls are." Shelby smiled, while Two-Bit took one bag and she took another.

Two-Bit waved his hand, "Don't worry about it. Just make sure you don't leave your panties lying around my room. I got enough in there as it is." He said cockily with a wink. Shelby laughed and smacked his arm.

"I never took you for one to kiss and tell, Two-Bit" Shelby laughed as we turned into the parking lot.

"Who said anything about kissin'?" Two-Bit cocked his eyebrow, which Shelby mimicked back at him. It looked as though she, too, was also graced with that talent.

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"Hey, Two-Bit? You said you'd stop at the dime store," I yelled. He was speeding along the main street telling Shelby some of his infamous stories that made her laugh, and gasp, and sometimes hit him playfully.

"Oh yeah!" Two-Bit exclaimed. "Hold on, Pone." He said, and jerked the wheel and I watched Shelby grip the door handle nervously while Two-Bit pulled a horse shoe. Cars honked, and he nearly missed a girl walking her dog.

He pulled up crookedly in front of the store.

"Here, get me a pack too." Two-Bit said, and passed me a few dollars. "You need smokes, Shelby? Or if you need some girly stuff, Ponyboy's the only one who'll get it for ya."

"Shut up, Two-Bit" I said, and Shelby looked at me and giggled.

"No, I don't think I need anything."

I was about to shut the door when Two-Bit said "Do ya mind walking back Pony? I just want Ma to see Shelby before she leaves for work."

"Yeah, that's okay. You guys should come over for supper though. Dar said to if your mom ain't home."

"We'll be there," Two-Bit smiled, and I shut the door. Waving as he honked at me before speeding away.

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3 Thank-you to my reviewers. This chapter is dedicated to** crazee4ya260 & lady rose 05**!

Please review for me. Eternal thanks and love, Mercedes


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